Mahan and Sims argued beyond a battleship-only fleet

Mahan's short political case for battleships does not capture his broader writing about the wider uses of sea power. His newspaper articles addressed a different audience from his longer works. Sims likewise advocated submarines and destroyers as parts of a coherent fleet. American geography made the case difficult because opponents would have to bring torpedo craft across the Atlantic or Pacific. In this interpretation of prewar planning, a focus on national status and capital-ship quality left the supporting force out of proportion. Mahan and Sims therefore faced the further task of arguing for the smaller vessels needed to make those assets an effective fleet.